How to Check the Background of Legal Experts?

4 mins read

There are many ways to determine whether you are working with a good lawyer. One of them is to check their credentials. However, lawyers are not always honest about everything. You should check the background of a legal expert, especially if you are preparing to deal with a major case. It is also important to check credentials of Experts. Some experts who have testified for the defense of the defendant could be found misrepresenting his/her credentials. Professionals could have their licenses suspended, if they are found lying about their credentials. It takes time and effort to vet credentials of experts. There are many ways to check the background of lawyers and expert witness. You can get the information in deposition banks or record databases. However, using these services could be quite expensive and you may still leave a few bases uncovered.

The web offers a variety of tools and resources that contain so much valuable information. With Google, you can look for news and articles associated with the individual. You can find out about the activity of the individual a few years in the past. If the expert has a blog, you can also use to learn more about his/her expertise and knowledge. You can determine whether the person makes reliable assessment about everything. Blogs can become permanent records about their thoughts and words. You can find out whether the expert says negatively or positively about something. Google Search is up to date and comprehensive, so you may be able to find out how the expert thinks about the case. If his/her opinion leans heavily towards the defendant or the plaintiff, you may determine whether the expert is neutral enough. If you want to research about an expert, you can use Yippy. It’s not a typical search engine, but instead a metasearch tool. Yippy calls on various blog search engines and grab relevant information. Results are organized in hierarchical structure, known as clusters. By using Yippy, you can get usefully organized and comprehensive information.

You may also find out how experts behaved in forums and social media. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter are great ways to learn more about an expert. In LinkedIn, members often post new updates about anything that happens in the industry. Members could also share mutual recommendations and enhance their connections. In LinkedIn, you should carefully read profiles made by the experts. You should also check their connection networks to further examine their background.

Another thing you can do is by accessing corporate records. In this case, you can access the EDGAR database that’s operated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. It is often used to research publicly traded companies, but you can use EDGAR to research about individuals as well. Corporate filings could provide various information about the expert’s investments, employment arrangements, business affiliations and others. EDGAR can even track the employment history and education of the expert. NASD BrokerCheck is another source to search about the background of specific professionals, if they are registered by brokers and security firms.